Aliens: Dark Descent

Aliens: Dark Descent is a squad-based RTS from Tindalos Interactive and Focus Entertainment. Players will command a squad of Colonial Marines as they pass through various areas infested with the iconic Xenomorphs of the Aliens franchise. In addition to the wide variety of objectives players will be required to complete, the semi open-world format of Aliens: Dark Descent means that there are also plenty of items to loot, the most prestigious being Xenosamples.

These samples enable the player to research new technologies and provide their marines with useful combat upgrades, putting them on more of an even playing field with the increasingly aggressive enemy threat. While obtaining Xenosamples can be relatively simple, they are quite rare and an incredibly valuable resource used to provide marine squads with extremely beneficial deployment upgrades.

Finding Samples

Xenosamples can be found occasionally as random drops from smaller Xenomorphs such as Drones, Runners and occasionally Facehuggers. More commonly, they will fall in greater quantities from larger enemies such as Crushers and Queens. Check near fallen enemies for the DNA double-helix symbol to see if any samples can be looted. Shining the Flashlight on any corpses will help to confirm whether they have dropped any loot items. Take caution when securing Xenotech, since there will often be other enemies around who can take out a lone squad member if they are sent to secure it without adequate support.

The DNA symbol will also be displayed on the Map whenever it has been dropped and discovered, so players should always check this to ensure that every available sample has been collected. This method can also be used to ensure that other materials and points of interest around the given location has been thoroughly explored - thus preventing repeat deployments simply to scavenge for materials. Players can also encourage large onslaughts of Xenomorphs to attack before retreating to a well-defended position such as the ARC. This can provide a massive boost to the amount of Xenotech available and essentially allow players to farm it since Xenomorphs will continually respawn.

Xenotech Upgrades

Before each deployment, players are able to choose from a variety of Xenotech upgrades to help their squad on the field at the expense of additional Xenotech. These technologies are unlocked from the Laboratory once players have acquired the requisite blueprints. The technologies range from upgraded weapons and additional chitin armor to the ability to remove Facehuggers set advanced traps. These upgrades are extremely valuable and can make a huge difference to the outcome of a mission, thus players should always ensure there is spare Xenotech in their inventory and that it is not all spent on research.

Much like the soldiers' personal upgrades, the Xenotech upgrades will either come in the form of a bonus or a tool. Some of these tools are essential in later missions to ensure the survival of the squad, such as the Extraction Device. Players should always be on the lookout for blueprints since they are unique items and will only spawn in one place, and once found will need to safely returned to base in order to conduct research and unlock the new technologies.